Roberts Camera Fan Photographer of the Game

November 16, 2012 | Updated: August 19, 2013

The Roberts Camera Fan Photographer of the Game was a contest that ran during the Pacers' 2012-13 season. Winning photographers received an opportunity to shadow and take photos with Indiana Pacers staff photographer Frank McGrath.

Pacers Staff Photographer Frank McGrath: "This photo stood out to me from the very start. The timing is perfect and it is an incredible action shot. The photographer perfectly utilized the beautiful outdoor light and therefore, the color on this image pops like no other. The clarity of the image is impressive and the overall composition is great. All in all, this picture stood out to me as a clear winner for this first contest."

Pacers Staff Photographer Frank McGrath: "This picture is just an all-around awesome shot. The timing is absolutely perfect. Timing on a dunk is so hard to get and there are really three levels of difficulty when it comes to the dunk shot; you can either get the player with the arms back over their head and ready to slam the ball in, you can get the ball right on the rim (which is this picture here), and you can get the player hanging/bending the rim after the shot. All of these are very tough to get and they require the photographer to push their button early in anticipation of the shot. And, as every photographer knows – this can either go very well, or it can go very badly and you miss the shot entirely! I also want to touch on the composition of this photo. This picture was framed beautifully, and it told a story about the game. You can see all the major “characters.” You have the action of the shot, the other players reaction, you can see the crowd and the cheerleaders on their feet (which shows it was an exciting game), and you even have the ref in there. All in all, this shot stood out as the winner because of the great anticipation of the timing, and the great composition that told the story."

Pacers Staff Photographer Frank McGrath: "The professionalism of this photo stood out immediately to me. And while we had many great pictures, this photo stole my heart and was so technically perfect. You can’t ask for better timing than what is displayed in this picture. What stood out most to me about this picture was how the focus held so perfectly. You can tell that this photographer was obviously across the field, so I have to assume he had at least a 400mm/2.8 lens or better. But, even with that capacity of lens, to hold that type of focus and keep the picture so sharp and so crisp while capturing that kind of action shows me that this person took a gamble and it paid off big time! This individual is a fantastic photographer. The color is beautiful, and very sharp. And the framing and composition of this picture could not be better – the player is perfectly centered and in motion, yet there is not a blur on him, and his face is looking towards the camera, which is such a tough shot to get. And the story that is told with the player’s eyes locked on the ball and the opposing team’s player, just barely missing his mark, in the corner of the picture – showing what I have to assume is a great catch and a just missed tackle. Well done Jeff! This is one of the best pictures we have seen so far."